Bad pothole - Blown tire - Alignment Check?

[JHZR2]

This afternoon I was taking an offramp on a bridge, and there was a big, deep pothole that I couldnt avoid (I was between the side of a bridge and another car). I recall seeing the rebar grid inside of it, so it must have been pretty deep. It was a hard enough hit that my windshield wipers turned on by themselves. I keep my tires at 37-38 PSI. More or less immediately the car started pulling right, and I parked it as soon as there was a location that I could do so safely. It was quite the blowout. Rim is damaged too - hit it hard enough, or just right that the edge of the rim has marring from the concrete, and it is definitely bent. So looks like Ill be buying a $400 or so wheel... Plus a tire or two... Ugh. These were the OE Michelin Energy Saver AS tires, which I like very much, and still have half of their tread after 56k miles. I put my snow tires on the front to drive it home. Seems to track OK, the wheel returns to center. If anything, it might pull very slightly left, but any correction and it will stay on course. Just seems that I have to turn the wheel ever so slightly right on occasion to go straight. It doesnt seem to always be the case though, and the crown of the road seems to sometimes be sufficient to keep it tracking straight and true. Ive definitely driven cars with far less straight steering wheels and far more pull. A casual observation didnt show anything bad or abnormal. Any recommendations on what/how I should check it next? The obvious answer is to get it on an alignment rack, but anything else I can do? Is there a "typical" way that a bad pothole hit throws off an alignment? Id think that it would be less toe related and more that the car is moving forward and the wheel and tire get snagged backwards while rolling through. So is it camber that needs to be checked and verified most? With something that hard, should I be concerned about engine or transmission mounts? Thanks!

 

[Imp4]

Yikes!!! If the pothole was big enough to cause that kind of damage, it was definitely capable of bending or damaging suspension bits. Instead of speculating about what could be wrong, get it up on an alignment rack with a technician that you trust. Get some data and then make an informed decision.

 

[twouvakind]

Alloy Wheel Repair should be consulted as the rim(s)could be saved. Maybe get a steelie or two to get your new tire(s)spinning again. Save receipts and file a claim with the Great State of NJ or one of it's 900+ municipalities.

 

[dogememe]

Keep pictures and receipts and go back and take photos of the hole and you should be able to get reimbursed by the state or city.

 

[geeman789]

Ouch ... Tire is toast, obviously. Wheel might be too, it may be bent or cracked on the inside lip where there is no spoke support. Might be repairable, and given how expensive OE wheels are, definitely worth looking into. Or find a used wheel. Modern suspensions are VERY TOUGH. It takes a lot to bend or break something, but it looks like you took a pretty big hit. Lower control arm can get bent back, and that will throw off toe. Camber won't usually change much unless something is really broken. Your strut might be damaged as well. As for claiming for damage with the city / state, good luck with that. You should definitely inquire about it, but don't be surprised if they say no, the pothole was never reported, so how could we fix it, call YOUR insurance company. And, you may want to call your insurance company. Sometimes, they will process the claim as a comprehensive, no fault claim, like hitting a deer etc. Usually, they will say the car was moving and you hit something, so that would be an at fault collision if you claim. Doesn't hurt to ask though ...

 

[JHZR2]

Interesting - thought that governments were immune from liability on road upkeep... It's a tough spot to photograph - an interstate bridge exit in Philadelphia.

 

[Wolf359]

What year is the car? Even my Mercedes rims range from $150-$250 on eBay, but rims for newer cars tend to be a lot more. Usually you can find the interchange number and do a google search for it and find a cheap vendor online. Also it depends on what's wrong with the rim, if it's cracked it will be more, if it's just bent you can just get it bent back. Bending it back is about $115 for me locally, cracked means getting it welded which is in the $150+ range which when I had one cracked, it was cheaper to just get another rim on eBay. The times I've blown out tires, bent/cracked rims, the suspension was fine, but when the alignment was off, they would just adjust the toe back. I just get 3 year alignment warranties at Goodyear. But there are other chains like NTB and Firestone which offer different length alignment warranties. I do the 3 year because at some point when I replace things like struts or tie rods, it will need one again anyway and the 3 year is less than the cost of two alignments.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

Interesting - thought that governments were immune from liability on road upkeep... It's a tough spot to photograph - an interstate bridge exit in Philadelphia.

That depends on state law. In my state, the state is immune but the local municipality is responsible if they knew about it in advance.

 

[oldhp]

Sounds like the toe-in got knocked out by you stating car won't track all the time. Get it checked when the new tires go on......my opinion.

 

[P10crew]

Wow that is incredible. In my town we have a pothole hotline. They get right on it too. Pretty amazing that they let things get that bad. Pretty sad.

 

[MNgopher]

For my employer, we have 48 hours to repair a pothole when reported. If we have not repaired the pothole in that timeframe, we pay for damages caused by the pothole. We have online reporting of pothole issues available and encourage the public to use it. In other words, if we reasonably knew about the issue, did we repair it? Unfortunately, ones that pop up an cause some damage quickly...

 

[Nick1994]

Don't get a wheel from the dealer. My grandma hit a curb and ruined the wheel and tire on her 14' Grand a Caravan SXT a few years ago, wheel was over $400 at the dealer. I went on www.car-part.com and found a flawless identical wheel from a scrap yard for $95, already pulled and no tire on it.

 

[pbm]

Originally Posted by P10crew

Wow that is incredible. In my town we have a pothole hotline. They get right on it too. Pretty amazing that they let things get that bad. Pretty sad.

Roads have been "that bad" in the NY/NJ metro area for a long time. Apparently, the powers that be have 'better things' to do with our tax money. Another reason why so many people are leaving.... PS: To the OP....there are places that will fix that wheel...google "alloy wheel repair"....

 

[Lapham3]

I'm surprised that small potholes are allowed to grow into large ones. Heck, city/county/.state folks drive on the same roads as the rest of us and you'd think that they'd report and have them fixed, yet they usually don't until they get bad. I know where many are on my 'normal' drive in summer months and just avoid the jolt. I see others doing the same. Those grow with the winter freeze/thaw season and maybe wouldn't be an issue if addressed early on.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by geeman789

Ouch ... And, you may want to call your insurance company. Sometimes, they will process the claim as a comprehensive, no fault claim, like hitting a deer etc. Usually, they will say the car was moving and you hit something, so that would be an at fault collision if you claim. Doesn't hurt to ask though ...

Nope, don't do that. As a previous claims adjuster the answer will always be "you could've avoided the pothole" since it is a stationary object in the road, and will be an at-fault claim with most companies. Things like deer, falling branches, etc, fall under comprehensive because they have their own movement and fall under "acts of God". If you call them just to inquire, don't be surprised if your rates go up, I've seen it many times.

 

[supton]

I've got nothing to add but condolences. At least you had a spare set of wheels so as to motor on!

 

[SeaJay]

I suspect that if you haven't driven the metro NY/NJ/CT area roads in a while, you might be shocked as to how bad they get in the winter. In the summer after most of the roads have been filled in from the winter freezes, the roads are still far worse than most of this country's drivers are used to, emphasis on far worse. It is part of the thrill of living here.

 

[Mr Nice]

Luckily no accident as a result of blown tire. 1. Buy new wheel and tire 2. Take to a shop that specializes in alignments So many 'techs' at any tire shop don't know how to properly use a Hunter alignment rack. Lots of techs don't even bother to drive (road test) a vehicle after taking it off the rack..... just interested in the next service ticket. I doubt any damage to your suspension / strut, etc...

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Sounds like a Pot-hole that big/deep should have a 'name'. Something like …. Ole Rufus Once the Police followed me home around midnight. They pulled into my driveway and said "we noticed you were swerving" I told them, yes, I was driving around all the pot-holes. They said, "and then you took off" I told them, yes, I got past all the pot-holes. They said, "good-by"

 

[Kira]

I didn't see the mounted wheel someone thoughtfully left in the road. Hit it and both left side steel wheels bent beyond belief and, of course, the tires were trashed. Because I had just swapped off my snows I had 3 spares with me. Alignment checked out OK. 1970 Toyota Corona Mk II. GREAT CAR.